Fibroids before FET

[Ranchu90]

Hi lovey ladies,I am writing this post on behalf of my dear sis who is having her FET done in just few weeks. Today she went for endometrium lining check and the sonographer found 2 fibroids on her uterus. She never had this issue before. One is measuring 10mm and the other 16mm so not that big. Now she is waiting for her doctor recommendation but in the meantime I would like to know your experience. Din you had your FET postponed because of that? Have they asked you to remove fibroids before transfer? I am so upset and this is so frustrating 😔... cannot help her not even with an advice. Please help me and shed some light...♥️

[Rol81]

In my case, I also wasn’t responding that well throughout cycle, only 2 follicles and then on my scan before egg collection the consultant seen the fibroid , she advised me to cancel collection and have hysteroscopy to remove the fibroid first to give myself the best possible chance. Sorry.

But maybe others will have different advice / experience. That’s just mine, and we know clinics can vary x

[Ranchu90 in reply to Rol81]

That is my worry also, that she might need to cancel it. Ohhh ... 😤😞 She had hysteroscopy done and they found polyps that been removed. The bloody rollercoaster is back 😔 I didn't miss it for a second after struggling myself for so many years 🤧😤😠😡

[Rol81 in reply to Ranchu90]

That is just my experience though. It’s so hard, always a bump in the road slowing things down. But they might say where they are located might not affect the transfer.

But last thing you want is to go ahead, even if it failed for another reason , she would maybe blame the fibroids and have regrets. Again, maybe they will advise it’s ok. Wish her so much luck ❤️

[Ranchu90 in reply to Rol81]

Yes, I am totally with you. We are always thinking..what if ...!?!? Such a hard decision 😔

[Hidden]

hey lovely hope you are doing well. I’m so sorry to read about your sister. You may remember I have absolutely been there and ended up having to delay my FET for nearly a year and having major surgery.. however it all hinges on where the fibroids are.. did they tell her? You are right hers are nice and small so if they are in an ‘ok’ place she still might be able to go ahead xx

[Ranchu90 in reply to Hidden]

I did a search through your replies before my post, I remember very well some of your replies and struggles. She is having one on posterior uterine wall and one on anterior uterine wall. Such a silly situation. She had hysteroscopy done a while ago and they didn't find any fibroids just few polyps that been removed. Can they grow because of the estrogen intake? 😞🤔

[Hidden in reply to Ranchu90]

Yes they thrive on oestrogen and progesterone which I assume is why I ended up with so many - so many rounds of IVF pumping them up.

The one thing I would say is that although it feels like the WORST thing in the world now, and I HATED everyone when I found out I needed to wait 9 months before I could go ahead with transfer because of my op, actually here I am pregnant (cautiously still!!) and I do really wonder if I would have had all the failed cycles and miscarriages if I had had my fibroids fixed earlier (other clinic never said I should before). So I would hate for your sister to go through that when it could be avoided. Equally with small ones like that if they did say they needed to remove them they can probably do it via keyhole and you can start IVF 3 months after that so could be cracking on late spring early summer. Send her a big hug from me though as it SUCKS xx

[AuroraXen]

Hi Ranchu, on my first IVF scan they found a fibroid - a subserosal fibroid. It's always been there and is actually quite large now, around 4 or 5 cm. But because if its location (it isn't in the womb interior, extends outwards, from the lining of the womb) no doctor has ever been worried about it. Location is everything, I think. I know if they're in a more crucial place though, removal id important. They can grow with pregnancy I believe, which you wouldn't want with a little baby developing in there. Sorry your sister is going through this, it's SO frustrating after already having polyps removed💓 xx

[Ranchu90 in reply to AuroraXen]

Thank you for your reply... everything is frustrating in this journey when things are not how you expect them to be 🥴

[Gold00]

Hi Rannchu90, as others said it all depends on the type and location of fibroids. In my case, I was still having FETs done with 3 fibroids, where the biggest one was 8cm, as my doctor, who is actually a Professor, told me it would not be affecting my fertility and implantation, as the fibroids were not impinging on the uterine cavity.

However, as they continued to grow, I was told I needed myomectomy, which I had back in October 2022. I am currently recovering from that surgery before having further IVF and embryo transfers.

[Ranchu90 in reply to Gold00]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Oh wow is taking so long to recover?!?! How they removed them by having a hysteroscopy or laparoscopy? I wish you a speedy recovery and do take care of yourself 💕🥰

[Gold00]

Thank you ❤️. I had laparotomy and I've been told by my doctor that I will need to wait 3 months before I can resume IVF and 6 months - before any transfers can be done.

In terms of physical recovery, I was back at work (i.e. working from home) after 2 and a half weeks and felt 100% normal - after 2 months. However, I've had a few challenges with fibroids, which have also been quite unique.

In Dec 20 the ultrasound showed I had 3 fibroids only, with the biggest one being 8cm. When I was told I needed surgery, I did a pelvic MRI, which in Dec 21 showed 5 fibroids, with the biggest one being 9cm. Surgery was scheduled for Apr 22, however, just as they were about to cut me open, I suffered anaphylactic shock. For someone with no allergies except for dust mites, this was quite a shock!

In the allergy testing done on 2 separate occassions, I tested negative to the muscle relaxant that everyone thought caused the anaphylactic reaction, but tested positive to a different muscle relaxant, that my IVF clinic uses in emergency situations. That meant I was no longer allowed to have any egg collections under sedation/anesthesia, just have them with the green whistle, even though all previous egg collections were all under general anesthesia with excellent and instant recovery! As all previous egg collections, due to fibroids, were done through the abdomen, it meant that the egg collection that I did have whilst undergoing allergy testing was not only more painful, but affected by how many eggs could have been retrieved through accessing the ovaries the normal way ☹️.

Whilst undergoing allergy testing and not knowing if and when I'll do surgery, I decided to try and shrink fibroids naturally by taking Green Tea extract, NAC, Vitamin D and doing accupuncture once a week. There were no further tests done and when I did eventually have surgery in October 22 to my surprise all fibroids shrunk by about 30%, with the biggest one being only 6cm! They left one 2cm subserosal fibroid behind, as it was in a hard to reach place, but I was told it would not affect implantation... If I had my time all over again and with everything that I do know now about fibroids, I would certainly try and shrink fibroids naturally first before undergoing any major surgery...

Wishing your sister all the very best with her FET and IVF journey! ❤️

[Ranchu90 in reply to Gold00]

Wow that is an incredible story! I am really sorry you had to go through all of these 😔. May I ask you how did you chose to take the natural treatment for helping them to reduce in size? What are the doses you use on green tea extract? Many thanks for your reply 🥰💕

[Gold00]

I did an online research that showed that there were a few medical trials using these products, which resulted in fibroids shrinking:

contemporaryobgyn.net/view/...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/334...

I was feeling very down at the time with all the setbacks that I had, so my line of thinking was if it's not going to help, at least I'd be taking the products that are fertility supplements (NAC, Vitamin D) and which also help to prevent catching COVID (Green tea extract, NAC).

I was taking Green Tea Extract tablets containing Green Tea Extract of 833 mg, with EGCG of 416mg, which was the closest dose to one of trials that I could find locally in a pharmacy near me.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any further questions 🥰

[Ranchu90 in reply to Gold00]

Many thanks for your detailed reply, it is very interesting ♥️. I like to read all kind of trials and researches.